#redemption 1x01

[thewanderingace]

Leverage: Redemption 1x01 | Leverage: Redemption 2x02

Bonus:

[gleesongtournament]

Glee Song Tournament Redemption Round

[apoloadonisandnarcissus]

The Tragedy of Haladriel - Part I

In Season 1, there is foreshadowing about how Galadriel will be responsible for “bringing Sauron back” due to her obsessive pursuit to destroy him. This is also a theme in Season 2, with her character, now, desiring to put things right and atone for her past mistake.

For the sake of not repeating myself, I recommend reading this post, first.

We foresaw that if Galadriel’s search should have continued, she might have inadvertently kept alive the very evil she sought to defeat. For the same wind that seeks to blow out a fire may also cause its spread. Gil-galad reveals to Elrond the real reason he sent Galadriel to Valinor, 1x01

In 1x04, Galadriel sees a vision of the Fall of Númenor, on the Palantír:

The red is meant to symbolize Sauron, and she’s walking towards it. In the Númenor plot in Season 1, there is a lot of weight of Galadriel being the one responsible for announcing the Fall of Númenor (which will be caused by Sauron).

In “Rings of Power”, it’s pretty much established that it was Galadriel’s pride that condemned Middle-earth to Sauron’s tyranny. 

But... is this as simple as it appears? Is it because she brought him back to Middle-earth? Or because she denied his offer? The answer is far more complex, but it’s connected with her pride, yes, and also with her meddling with Mairon’s attempt at redemption. But also with Mairon’s own choices. In boils down to both of them getting tested by the Valar, and failing.

In the end, Galadriel didn’t overcome her pride, and Mairon didn’t see his redemption through and fell back into evil, and this is pretty much in line with what Tolkien himself wrote. 

Galadriel: The Elf Transformed by Darkness

[Galadriel] had no peace within. Pride still moved [her] when, at the end of the Elder Days, the final overthrow of Morgoth, she refused the pardon of the Valar for all who had fought against him, and remained on Middle-earth. Unfinished Tales [of Númenor and Middle-earth]

When we first meet Galadriel in 1x01, we can immediately perceive she’s strong-willed, proud and rebellious, acting against orders of the High King of the Noldor, Gil-galad, in her endless hunt for Sauron, Morgoth’s sucessor and the responsible for her brother’s death.

Galadriel is also the only Elf in Middle-earth who believes that Sauron is still out there, and means to find and destroy him, at any cost. “More and more of our kind began to believe that Sauron was but a memory. And the threat, at last, was ended. I wish I could be one of them.”

Gil-galad “honors” Galadriel by granting her passage to return to Valinor, and rest in glory. But she’s set on refusing, because she’s certain Sauron will return.

Elrond: Do you truly believe seeking him out will satisfy you? That one more Orc upon the point of your blade will bring you peace? […] If you are wrong, will you lead more Elves to die in far-off lands? To convince yourself you have done enough, how many more statues would you add to this path? No one in history has ever refused the call. Do so now, it may never come again. Do so now, it may never come again. You will linger here, an outcast, poisoned in dark whispers and dreams. Galadriel: And in the West, do you think my fate would be better? Where song would mock the cries of battle in my ears? You say I have won victory over all the horrors of Middle-earth. Yet you would leave them alive in me? To take with me? Undying, unchanging, unbreaking, into the land of winter less spring? Elrond: Only in the Blessed Realm can that which is broken in you be healed. Go there. Go, and I promise you… If but a whisper of a rumor of the threat you perceive proves true, I will not rest until it is put right. You have fought long enough, Galadriel. Put up your sword.

Galadriel sees her endless pursue for Sauron as the means to earn her inner peace after everything she saw, did and endured on Middle-earth. It’s connected to her pride, yes, but also to her greatest and deepest desire of healing. And this is why she can’t stop her pursuit, even when we, the audience, watch Galadriel endanger her companions’ lives in 1x01.

It’s not just about vengeance, because, like she tells Mairon, 1x05, “one cannot satisfy thirst by drinking sea water”. Hence, Galadriel believes that, only when she destroys Sauron, will she be able to find inner peace, and heal the darkness within herself.

Halbrand: The Repentant Mairon

When Thangorodrim was broken and Morgoth overthrown, Sauron put on his fair hue again and did obeisance to Eönwë, the herald of Manwë, and abjured all his evil deeds. And some hold that this was not at first falsely done, but that Sauron in truth repented […] But it was not within the power of Eönwë to pardon those of his own order […] to receive from the Valar a sentence, in might be, of long servitude in proof of his good faith. The Silmarillion

In 2x01, Sauron’s physical form gets destroyed by Adar using Morgoth’s crown, and he spends centuries on a cave. He regains a new physical form and a new name (“Halbrand”, because “I have many names”, as it’s been established by Season 2).

When Morgoth was defeated, it was as if a great, clenched fist had released its grasp from my neck. And in the stillness of that first sunrise, at last, I felt the light of The One again. And I knew if ever I was to be forgiven... That I had to heal everything that I had helped ruin.

While wandering the Southlands, he eventually meets Diarmid (the original owner of the King of the Southlands’ heraldry pouch):

I know you’ve suffered. I can see it in your eyes. There’s another life waiting for you. You just have to turn toward it […] A sure path may crumble, but there’s always another. Often, it can lead us someplace better. Someplace good. They say there’s places across the sea, a man can escape himself. Find another path. Perhaps another life.

When Mairon arrives at Númenor, he sees it as “the place across the sea” Diarmid told him about. Where he can find another path. A island gifted by the Valar themselves to Men, and where they are ever watchful. And so, he believes this is where he can prove his good faith to the Valar and sought their forgiveness for his past sins and crimes under Morgoth.

There is not another man on this isle that knows this craft better than I. I will shovel coal if needs be, I’ll splinter wood, I’ll shape a sea anchor for you, free of charge, sturdier than anything you have ever seen. How’s that? I’m here to start anew. Lend me that chance. Please. And I won’t forget it. Halbrand/Mairon asks for work at Númenor forge, 1x03

Diarmid also tells Mairon he has to chose good everyday, and this is a callback to Gandalf in “The Hobbit” trilogy: Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.

Diarmid: Nightmares again? What haunts you so? Mairon: I’ve done evil. Diarmid: All of us have done things that we care not to admit. Mairon: Not like I have. Diarmid: Find forgiveness. You are alive because you have chosen good. Mairon: But what of tomorrow? Diamid: You have to choose it again. And the next day. And the next. Until it becomes a part of your nature.

We, then, see Mairon chose wrong, by not helping Diarmid and leaving him for dead, and steal his pouch. He later atones for this when he saves Galadriel from drowning. He also asks for her forgiveness, in 1x05:

And this is when something starts to change in Mairon, and he sees earning Galadriel’s forgiveness as his chance at redemption, instead of staying in Númenor in servitude (like he was meant to).

However, his bound to Morgoth (darkness) is always lingering over Mairon: when he leaves Diarmid to his death, and when he beats the Númenóreans smiths (because of Galadriel).

“The Sea is Always Right”

After Season 2, we have the confirmation that Galadriel and Mairon meeting was, indeed, by chance, and not something planned by Sauron. Nor did he summoned the sea serpent (“the Worm”).

There is a popular theory that suggests this sea creature might have been sent by Ulmo, the Vala of the Sea. This is a strong theory, since this is a Vala associated with Númenor, and both Galadriel and Mairon were on the Sundering Seas (next to both Valinor and Númenor). And this also aligns with the notion of “tides of fate” and how their meeting was the work of something greater.

Judgement of the Valar

Ours was no chance meeting. Not fate, nor destiny, nor any other words Men use to speak of the forces they lack the conviction to name. Ours was the work of something greater. You must see it. Galadriel tells Halbrand/Mairon, 1x03

When the petals of Nimloth, the White Tree of Númenor, fall, according to Queen-regent Míriel, the Faithful see in them the tears of the Valar, “a living reminder that their eyes and judgment are ever upon us.”

The eyes of the Valar weight on both Mairon and Galadriel, in Númenor. Can he see his redemption through? And can she let go of her pride?

At the surface, it’s like Elrond said in 2x02, Galadriel saw in Halbrand the lost king who could ride her to victory, and help her destroy Sauron and avenge her brother’s death. Mairon, on the other hand, coveted Galadriel’s light and believed she might help him gain his redemption by earning her forgiveness.

They were both wrong, and they both failed the test.

It’s Galadriel’s pride who tempts Mairon towards the darkness and into his old ways under Morgoth, and eventually leads him to chose deception instead on staying on Númenor in servitude.

Galadriel: A cage you have landed in because you chafe under the rags of the common. And the armor that ought to rest upon your shoulder’s weighs upon your soul. Halbrand/Mairon: Be careful, Elf. The heir to this mark is heir to more than just nobility. For it was his ancestor who swore a blood oath to Morgoth. I am not the hero you seek. For it was my family that lost the war. Galadriel tries to persuade Halbrand/Mairon to reclaim his crown as King of the Southlands (future Lord of Mordor), 1x03

“Aren’t these the seeds you planted?” Sauron asks Galadriel in 2x02 and 2x08.

Indeed, in 1x03 and 1x05 we see Galadriel being the “Morgoth” to Mairon’s “Sauron” on several occasions, and him even growing impatient with her, because she’s impulsive, aggressive, arrogant and sometimes downright offensive towards the Númenóreans. This chaotic energy recalls him, even if on a subconscious level, of Morgoth himself.

Mairon compares Galadriel to a "horse in full gallop", and advises her not to antagonize the Númenóreans (although, he's not one to talk, as we see later).

You used me. After I all but begged you to let me be (…) Find another head to crown. Halbrand/Mairon gets angry at Galadriel, 1x05

We even see Galadriel going into the forge to tempt him with promises of power, as Morgoth himself did when Mairon as a Maia of Aulë. And this is when everything chances for Mairon.

Mairon's Choice

When Galadriel is about to leave for Middle-earth, the petals of Nimloth begin to fall, and Tar-Míriel believes it’s to be a sign from the Valar: Galadriel must not leave. In the same sequence we also see Mairon, looking over Númenor.

This can mean the Valar are warning the Númenóreans about Sauron’s presence on the island, or that Sauron himself caused this to happen, to prevent Galadriel to leave without him. I think both interpretations can be correct, really.

This marks Mairon’s first deception in Season 1: him accepting to play the “King of the Southlands” role. And we have red (deception) on this shot, as well. This is the beginning of Mairon’s downfall into darkness.

Mairon now believes that Galadriel will help him achieve his redemption, because he will able to “choose good” with her, by gaining her forgiveness and healing. However, it’s the other way around. By following Galadriel’s pride, he’s one step closer to fall into his old ways, into evil. Because he chose deception, instead of following through with his initial intentions of servitude.

And, in 1x05, we, the audience, are shown *the* moment when Mairon makes this choice (deception over redemption):

Understanding Galadriel and Mairon connection

In 1x02, Galadriel and Mairon end up adrift on a raft, together. And Galadriel immediately starts to plot ways to find Sauron, once she sees the crest "Halbrand" wears. Nevertheless, this is the scene when they start to bond with each other, too.

This is also the episode where Elrond says to Durin and Disa: Where there is love, it is never truly dark. And then next scene is Galadriel and Mairon getting to know each other.

I know something of the pain you carry. I grieve for you. For those you lost. Galadriel emphatizes with Mairon, 1x02

On Tolkien lore, Elves are emphatic and compassionate beings by nature, but having Galadriel empathizing with him, appears to have a deep effect on Mairon. It probably has something to do with the fact he’s the one who caused her brother’s death, by having his werewolves kill him. He later saves Galadriel from drowing, too, maybe to "atone" for her brother's death at the hands of his servants ("an eye for an eye").

I have been searching for my peace for longer than you know. Please, for both our sakes, let me keep it. Perhaps some peace would do you good as well. Mairon tells Galadriel once they arrive at Númenor, 1x03

Both Galadriel and Mairon recognized the need for inner peace and healing in each other, and this is, maybe, why they both felt so drawn together. Both of them were seeking redemption, and saw the opportunity to get it in each other. Galadriel, herself, tells Mairon this, in 1x04: Come with me to Middle-earth. And together we will redeem both our bloodlines.

This need for redemption also connects with a recognition of past misdeeds: they have both done things (or saw them being done) they deeply regret, and it haunts them, still.

"The light of Valinor shone upon your very face, Galadriel, and you turned your back on it. Was it truly to fight the darkness or was the darkness calling to you?" Elrond asks Galadriel, 2x02

Galadriel and Mairon felt so deeply connected because they shared the same belief: only when they destroy “Sauron”, will they find inner peace, and healing from the darkness within themselves.

There was a physical attraction, sure, but these are immortal spirits, up and foremost (with Mairon not being bound to his physical form, unlike Galadriel). The connection they felt runs deeper, than just wanting to “shake the sheets” (or the forge table) with each other. Or him just being attracted to her because of her legendary beauty (Morgoth/Silmarils parallel). 

Galadriel: Thank you... For pulling me back. Mairon: Was you, pulled me back first. Galadriel: Whatever it was he did to you, and whatever it was you did... Be free of it. Mairon: I never believed I could be... Until today. Fighting at your side, I... I felt... If I could just hold on to that feeling, keep it with me always, bind it to my very being, then I...

Galadriel stopped Mairon from getting his revenge against Adar (because he was the one who destroyed his previous physical form), and, that’s the reason for him starting to believe redemption is within his reach, after all. And he thinks it’s because of Galadriel (and not due to his own choices).

And this is another one of his mistakes, because this is how he was created by Eru during the Ainulindalë ("before the breaking of the first silence"). Marion isn’t a leader: he’s a follower, a Maia in service of a Vala. That's who he's suppose to be, and how he was designed to be. He served Aulë, then Melkor/Morgoth, and now wants to serve Galadriel, believing she will guide him to the redemption he so desperately wants and seeks.

[hesgomorrah]

Trapper John, M.D. Masterpost

TL;DR, Trapper John, M.D. is a criminally underrated M*A*S*H spin-off that I'd love to see given a shot at redemption. Links to watch it are under the cut.

Since I've been talking about this show a lot recently, I thought it would probably be a good idea to make it easier to find, since it's fairly obscure nowadays.

If you've never heard of it, I don't blame you. TJMD is a M*A*S*H spin-off that ran from 1979 to 1986, with a contemporary setting and generally more dramatic tone but the same irreverent sense of humor and at times surprisingly progressive writing as its predecessor. It follows Trapper John McIntyre thirty-ish years after the Korean War, contending with medical mysteries and changing times as Chief Surgeon of a major hospital in San Francisco.

The series has few direct references to the events of M*A*S*H (in any of its previous forms), but it features a compelling ensemble cast of original characters that take many tropes M*A*S*H fans will be familiar with in new directions. Especially if you enjoyed the first three seasons of M*A*S*H, I highly recommend giving at least a handful of episodes a shot. The quality of said episodes varies wildly, but there are some true gems in there. (IMDb and Wikipedia links for more information!)

The only catch is, to date, the series has never been officially released to home media or any streaming platform, and I haven't found any evidence that it's still in syndication, so it's not the easiest show to track down. Luckily, all 151 episodes were recorded by dedicated fans, so the series is watchable in (very nearly) its entirety if you know where to look. I did the looking so you don't have to!

This Google Drive contains every episode of the series (with the exceptions listed below) in standard definition, plus my work-in-progress episode guide, highlighting episodes that are relevant to longer story arcs and offering a non-exhaustive list of content warnings for especially heavy episodes. (I'm looking for another place to host them but Google is the platform I'm most familiar with.)

Episodes 1x01 through 3x02 can be found in better quality here, remastered by a fan by combining footage from separate English- and German-language recordings of the series. It occasionally lapses into German audio with English subtitles as the German dub contains some scenes for which the corresponding English audio has been lost. Here is an alternate YouTube link with lower video quality but exclusively English audio, containing roughly 2/3 of the episodes.

If you speak German, you can find that dub here with slightly cleaner visuals.

If you prefer to torrent, you can find those here:

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4 (the second half of 4x20 is corrupted, repeating the same ~2 minutes of footage for the rest of the duration)

Season 5 (5x11 is missing roughly the last 10 minutes of the episode)

Season 6 (the video is frozen for most of 6x23 but the audio is fully intact)

Season 7

[amuseoffyre]

"We should steal something" - Leverage 2x01 & Leverage: Redemption 1x01

aka Parker's method of cheering Sophie up

[raayllum]

What really makes Rayla's ghosting f*cked up to me is the Silver Groves reasoning behind it. It was the simple fact that she was the only member of the team who survived (to their knowledge). Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I'm getting the impression that they (Ethari obviously being the exception) expected her to die on the mission as "redemption" for her parents supposed cowardness.

To me I think it's worse, somehow, because I don't think the Silvergrove expected Rayla to die for her parents' sins (at least not on that level, but Rayla does internalize a lot of it that way in 3x08 pretty directly).

The Ghosting is a punishment for if you don't die, or 'kill' yourself (die in the line of duty accordingly), we'll kill you ourselves (metaphorically in the show, more literally in the book one novelization). Public collective shaming and ex-communication and all that. There's a reason, I think, why people have been able to pretty smoothly read aspects of religious, particularly Christian, trauma onto Rayla and her attitudes towards sacrifice/suffering and the response(s) of her village to her.

That said: the Silvergrove wasn't wrong to be mad or grieving. They'd just lost 5 members of a clearly close knit and fairly small community, all of whom had families/loved ones. However, the issue is:

They had no way of knowing any of what had happened was Rayla's fault

They had no way of knowing she hadn't just been captured and escaped, or injured and taking a longer time to get home

She was 15 years old

As Callum says, "You didn't even give Rayla a chance to explain herself," which means it's a collective punishment without a trial

Rayla states that "They think I ran away, just like my parents" which means there probably is a societal shame/linking "guilty by association" aspect coming into play, too

Thereby, what the Silvergrove based their entire, seemingly irreversible judgement on was 1) everyone else on Rayla's team died in a timely fashion and 2) for whatever reason, she didn't, and they assumed it was because she was too afraid to die for their cause (when if anything, Rayla is routinely a little too willing to die for any and all causes she thinks is worthy of it) despite having zero tangible evidence for it.

Runaan and the other assassins were counting on having the element of surprise, wanted to make it home (ofc / "I promise I will return your heart to you"), and expected to: "We can accomplish this mission without sacrifice" (1x01). But once Rayla lets Marcos go, as Runaan says, "You let him live, but you killed us all" (which yes they could've, at any point, just called off the mission for their own wellbeing, but they were 1. already bound and 2. Moonshadows don't usually work like that, nevermind Moonshadow assassins).

Which could be decent, if still brutal, grounds for Ghosting Rayla, but like - the Silvergrove doesn't even have that, with even less proof than they had for Lain and Tiadrin (egg stolen, no bodies found).

It's like... either you all die for the good of the cause, or you all survive, and anything in between is unacceptable. Nothing like an extreme, steep hell heaven divide y'know?

[mhevarujta]

Sauron and Galadriel in The Rings of Power

There's been a lot of talk about Sauron and Galadriel's arc in the show. I've seen reactions vary from 'this is a cheap fanfic and completely against anything Tolkien would ever do' to 'they are in love with each other' depending on the audience and what they desire from the show.

Then there is the MC's recent interview, leading to fans speculating on whether Sauron will try to bring Galadriel to his side again etc. 

My own approach of this show is finding a silver lining of examining as its own thing and examining the characters arcs having in mind broader themes and the fact that his is a condensed timeline, so the entire arc of a character will be basically dealth in about 5 seasons when in the book it spans several ages.

With this in mind, this is the way I perceived what is being done with Sauron and Galadriel: I genuinely don't believe that the writers are going for a romance or for some version of badboy Sauron who becomes darker because he was rejected by Galadriel. I don't even believe that he starts with a genuine chance of redemption as Halbrand on the raft.Since the beginning, Sauron was quite willing to let any companion die. The first time he allows Galadriel to board the raft, she is the sole other survivor and he had let her fend for herself.  The second time, after they had talked, he had already seen her as potentially useful. I've seen the argument that Mairon may feel things that Sauron doesn't, but I don't think that the duality of Mairon/Sauron is prominent at all, if it even exists. 

For one thing, throughout it all he is always presented as someone who tells the aspects of the truth that suited him and that could sway her and those around him to the perception of events and to the course of action that suited him. Moreover, by this point in the show's canon he HAS experienced Morgoth's downfall and his experiments to have power over flesh have happened after his failed attempt at redemption.His choice has already been made.  I feel that he cares for Galadriel because he sees a conflict in her. He doesn't know of the specifics of Galadriel's journey, but he perceives that in a way they are similar... and they are, but it's a juxtaposition that they create.  Galadriel does not go to Aman in 1x01 because she didn't feel peace and didn't want to pursue a version of it for herself while the world was in turmoil. Based on Sauron's own arc in the Silmarillion, after Morgoth's defeat he MIGHT have genuinely repented for a while, but it was because of the fear his master's fall awoke in him. Sauron did not go to Aman because he was afraid of judgement.  In the show Galadriel was afraid of failing her own sense of duty and necessity in a way. But based on what we know... he? He was afraid of uncertainty. To seek redemption, he basically needed impunity in advance if he was to even put in the effort. 

Galadriel's conflict is something he can use. It's something that he can also relate to on an emotional level (but not in terms of its moral context). Her utility, the way he can channel that to manipulate AND the fact that she's beautiful strong and resilient are all factors that capture his interest.  I feel that to an extent he lusted for her, as we know Morgoth had for Luthien.  Nevertheless, what leads to him wanting her by his side is that 'feeling' he addresses in 1x06. Some interpret that  as a romantic confession. Personally I feel he was speaking of control.When fighting by her side he had someone to pull him back and limit him in a way he could not manage himself. If he had that when Morgoth fell he might have managed to be redeemed.  But his tendancies prevail. 

Where one could consider what he felt as a need for companionship and of genuinely having people close to them, for Sauron it's accompanied by an idea of order and control; of binding it to his very being. He twists it into a corrupted notion that just clicks when he meets Celebrimbor and the idea of an object of power comes and clicks with it. He wants that feeling of certainty AND his own twist on power, which beats any purity that feeling that awakened in him might have had, and which is why he sells to Galadriel the idea of them ruling together, even though with control he'd have over her through the ring would basically cancel out any chance she had at setting limits. But it's the feeling and the illusion of it all that matters to him and with regard of himself only. 

Even as he presents them as the saviors of middle earth, she asks something along the lines of 'save or rule?' Sauron not seeing the difference between the two and seing his own dominance and vision as salvation is exactly why he is lost and at the point of no return. It also clearly separates the two. Galadriel WAS tempted in both the book and the show, and in the show she's clearly drowning in her rage and desire for vengeance (I feel that her hunting of Sauron in the show is inspired by that line about her wanting to follow Feanor and thwart him), but ultimately their goals and worldviews are very different, which is why she CAN pull herself back every single time. She has a sense of self and of others that he never had and it's why she can choose to 'remain Galadriel' and not lose everything that makes her who she is because of a desire of power that most people have in one way or the other.Of course, the moment Sauron is rejected, he is very much willing to let her die. I feel this was a pretty big indication concerning how the writers see these two and the fact that, while Sauron may still see uses for her and have his eyes set upon her, there's no chance of the show exploring them as actual love-interests or even allies.

 Then why build this arc in the first place? Because of the themes and the juxtaposition, as I mentioned earlier. Even if we look at their names, there's something interesting there. We have the Dark Lord and the Lady of Light; the Lord of Gifts and the Lady of Gifts; Artano and Artanis; the Lord of the Rings and the Lady of the Ring; the Black Master and the Mistress of Magic; the Black One/Master and the White Lady; the Shadow in the Forest and the Lady of Golden Wood. I don't know, I just feel that the idea of exploring this comes from the right place and was done quite well in season 1. Of course some may disagree and that's their prerogative.

[eifri]

❝ what did your mother say to you about your gifts ? ❞ Little jill to little Clive tho —-

╰┈➤ STARTER PROMPTS : Merlin, The Dragon’s Call ( 1x01 ) | @glacierites

HIS HEART SINKS AT THE MENTION OF IT, but he makes attempt not to let it show on his face. he's never been very good at masking his true feelings, but years of living around the woman who he deems ' mother ' has taught him a thing or two about keeping unpleasant thoughts to himself. there is no point questioning why she acts the way she does / why she says the things she does. ( ... even so, he finds himself doing so again as the question is posed to him. he tells himself that with time he'll stop being so naive. ) what she thought about his 'gifts' he would honestly rather have never known.

the look on her face was one of visceral disgust, the likes of which could rival that of one caught in morbol's breath. sufficed to say, clive doesn't consider her to be too pleased by his achievements. he could become the greatest shield to ever have walked rosarian ⸻ no, valisthean soils, and still she would turn her nose to him. even so, clive does not resent that he was not born dominant. at the very least, not for lack of his mother's approval. more than that ... he would rather have been born 'correctly' for the sake of his brother; that he may not carry so heavy a burden. that is why he must push himself to become one worthy of being joshua's shield. to lessen that burden by however much possible.

clive curls his fingers, gaze fixed upon his clenched fist with nose scrunched and brow twisted into a quiet scowl.

" she ... " he begins, but tentatively shakes his head. turning to jill with a shaky sense of resolve, clive unfurls his fist and offers a smile. " it's no matter what she thinks, really. what matters is what you, joshua, the knights ⸻ even father, think. " his uncertainty seems to ease somewhat, then. it's true that despite his mother's grating disapproval, there are those around him who have watched him toil & suffer, and grow stronger as a result of it. those who continue to support him, dominant or no. truthfully, it's what keeps him grounded.

" whether or not she approves ... i will keep honing myself to become a shield joshua is worthy of. after all, it is he who has to shoulder the weight of rosaria's future. " to protect those he loves / the land that his father so dearly loves: that is all he desires. though some part of him may still be that naive child, chasing the hopeless dream of finding self-worth in what his body & his blade can provide for the kingdom, clive has begun to understand that what he wishes for is something far simpler than redemption. it is simply to protect.

" i must be prepared to stand alongside him when that day comes. to protect not just joshua ⸻ but everyone it is within my power to protect. it is only if when all is said and done that i'm truly incapable that... " ' that i will allow her words to take heed of all i have spent these years trying to overcome.' " ... i digress. if i continue to work as hard as i have been ... i'm certain that one day i will become the shield that sir rodney and father seem to think i have the potential to be. "

[darkpoisonouslove]

Your opinion on Regina's happy ending in ouat? Do you think it was good or not? Do you think she get everything she wanted/deserved? Would you've change something if you could?

TL;DR: I intensely dislike it because it made no narrative sense.

If you really look at it closely, the ending is, first of all, problematic. They showed Regina making the decision of one last Curse to unite the realms on her own and they never implied that she consulted any of the people from those realms if they agreed with this. I mean, sure, it would make sense that people would support this decision but I don't believe for a second that it would be accepted unanimously with no complaints. It's the same issue from season 2 when all the characters were super set on going back to their old land even though the new one they were in provided way more conveniences and opportunities. Everyone acted like a hive mind and that wasn't believable there and it's not believable in season 7 either. Which makes it problematic because Regina is once again making people (who were against the union of all realms) miserable through the Curse. On the surface it seems like a nice contrast to the beginning of the show when she cursed people to be separated and miserable. But if you look closely, it's once again a decision that disregards people's opinions and agency, at least the way they showed it since they didn't take care to imply that there was general consensus in support of her last Curse.

Then there is the problem of Regina's season 7 ending being practically the same as her season 6 ending. Let's review this. In season 7 Regina is pronounced The Good Queen because she is recognized by the people of all realms as their leader who has their best interests in mind. This is completely insignificant because a) the people from other realms have not been terrorized by her (despite the "I've conquered entire realms in less time" remark and the implication that she traveled to other worlds in 6x02 because we never saw any meaningful exploration of this) aka to the people of all realms except the og EF she was never The Evil Queen and b) the point that I talked about above. So them pronouncing her The Good Queen doesn't really matter all that much, especially because she didn't do too much to help the people of Hyperion Heights but I'll get to that too. So essentially, the coronation tells us that the people of all the realms have recognized her as their queen even though she probably violated the wishes of at least some of them by casting the last Dark Curse without consulting anyone on the matter. And it also tells us that the people of Storybrooke/og EF have accepted her redemption and trust her to be their leader... which is the exact same thing that the finale of season 6 told us about Regina's arc when they showed that people now wanted her to be mayor. I am overwhelmed by the meaning packed into this coronation. That is, the lack of meaning.

Look, I do really like the idea of paralleling 1x01 with 7x22 and having the coronation for Regina as The Good Queen at the same place where she ruined Snowing's wedding as The Evil Queen and threatened with the Curse. But they did not in any way set it up properly. Regina is seen trying to help the people of Hyperion Heights... while she's Roni. While she's cursed and doesn't remember who she is. As soon as she remembers everything, her number 1 priority becomes Henry. They do try to imply she's trying to protect everyone from the Curse and Gothel's genocide plans but what they actually SHOW us is that Regina is only thinking about her family and mainly Henry. Whatever she did to help in the EF 2.0 was also because of Henry and him staying for Ella. Regina literally abandoned her responsibilities as leader of Storybrooke just to stay with Henry. Everyone trusting her to make her Queen of the United Realms in light of that seems like a very bad decision on their part. She's stated her priorities clearly and it's obvious that the people don't take the lead.

Imo her focus on Henry is extremely hurtful of her arc. The thing is that Regina became a monster because she equated her ability to love and her worthiness with Daniel. His death led to extreme self-hatred and she only saw past that once Henry came into her life. But the thing is that her sense of self-worth and self-acceptance still hinges on Henry. Season 6 tried to do something there but the writing is so bad that it was completely unsuccessful. Proof A - Regina almost sent everything to hell the second she saw Robin aka she still needs external validation of her worthiness (and the Evil Queen's happy ending being Robin also plays into that idea). Proof B - Regina abandoning all of her responsibilities to stay with Henry (and the scene where they're talking in 7x02 even spells that out when it implies that without Henry Regina isn't content with her life). She hasn't really grown regarding defining herself outside the people whose love of her she decides to build her entire sense of self-worth on. Plus, being this unable to let go of your child is not healthy.

And this brings me to Facilier being killed off. I'd say that the main reason they did that was to show that Regina has grown and doesn't need a love interest anymore to feel worthy of love and acceptance... and it fails spectacularly because, like I said, there is plenty of evidence that she still bases her entire sense of self on external validation which is further supported by their need to dub her The Good Queen instead of allowing her to be herself. Now Regina has never wanted to be queen. And frankly, I never saw her growing into it. She is all too devoted to Henry and to changing herself for his sake and for her own! She wanted to be better because she believed her happy ending would only come when she redeemed herself. And her idea of a happy ending at the time was Robin. That literally never changed. Not even after his death. And they keep stating that through her focus on Henry! Regina still needs someone in her life to make her feel worthy and loved. They kind of tried to give her that through the love of the people by making her queen but that does not feel like a natural answer to her needs.

If you ask me, they would have done much better to keep Facilier around and make her do what Belle couldn't with Rumple. They should have made her state clear boundaries and show that even though she's in love, she has truly learned goodness for goodness' sake. Then they would have demonstrated that she does not, in fact, need external validation as badly anymore and she has truly redeemed herself. And they could have given her her happy ending with Facilier because it would have been earned then. She would've proven she has found self-love and a stable moral compass and does not NEED anyone's love; she simply wants it.

So in conclusion, the ending was disrespectful not just to Regina's character, but also to all the other characters thanks to the unfortunate implications made about her lack of development. I love season 7 but when it comes to Regina's arc throughout it, they really dropped the ball (although I also blame everything that happened in season 6 for that because it established an awful foundation to build upon).

[dorkydiaz]

OK OK I'll start watching the show. What are your favorite characters, ships and episodes ✏️

hehehheeeeee

okay so i do strongly strongly recommend watching the show from the beginning all the way through. the first season establishes so many things that comeback even in season six so do not skip it. i will tell you that it is much different that season 2 forward, in season 1 there’s a entirely different energy, overall a little darker and more intense but definitely still fun.

i really do love each and every one of the ensemble and their respective pairings so much, i am just the most feral about eddie and buck both separately and together. Henren- just a wonderful loving amazing lesbian couple that has fought hard for what they have and love each other so much. Bathena- a beautiful second chance romance that is so loving and understanding of each other. Madney- a redemption and healing from intense relationship trauma this is just so !!!. And buddie- just,,,i could and have written essays on their love for each other. And then there are the other permutations. especially Hen and chimney the bestiest of friends a lesbian and a himbo if i have ever seen one. the buckley siblings are my everything my entire life i love them so much. and the kids! may, harry, denny, chris, and eventually Jee- they all have such unique stories and you get to see them grow and change too, 911 really does a fairly good job at remembering these people have children and including them in the stories and how that changes things.

all the begins episodes are top of line all of them go on the list.

other episodes- under the cut

1x01 2x01 2x04 2x08 2x13 2x18 3x02/03 3x10 3x15- yes this is eddie begins but i must reiterate that it is so good 4x03 4x04/05- yes this is buck begins, again it is so good. 4x06 4x09 4x12 4x13/14 5x06 5x08 5x12 5x13/14 5x16 5x18 6x04 6x06 6x10/11

[mikelogan]

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[gleesongtournament]

Glee Song Tournament Redemption Round

[cakeandpi]

SOPHIE!! major spoilers below. I’m sorry if the readmore breaks on mobile.

a in media res open, a classic leverage move

but more importantly, sophie!!

she’s alone. wakes up alone, has breakfast alone. this place is too big for her to be living here alone though, so either nate lives(?) here with her or she’s on a vacation. also texting with the team! i assume ‘h’ and ‘e’ are hardison and eliot, given that she shows up as ‘s’. and the change from ‘i’m sorry i can’t’ to ‘i don’t want to’ - from deflecting to being honest - even though she doesn’t send it. and she looks so sad/tired/worn... from what though?

that tea set is pretty, wonder who she stole it from or who stole it for her as a gift

THE WAY HER CHIN WOBBLES AND SHE LAYS DOWN TO NOT-CRY WHEN SHE READS ‘P’/PARKER’S ‘I MISS YOU’. there’s something about how parker’s is simple and honest and about feelings - something that parker struggled with for so long! - while both hardison’s and eliot’s are about actions

SDALKJF;SLKDJFLKSJDFLKJ DID THEY REALLY KILL NATE? FOR REAL?? I CANNOT IMAGINE SOPHIE ACTING LIKE THAT WHILE SHE’S ALONE IF NATE WASN’T FOR-REAL DEAD. stars did he drink himself to death? if so does sophie blame herself for not trying harder? was it a con gone wrong? did someone come for revenge and succeed? i have so many questions

oh. ohhh. the team is gathered around nate’s grave. there’s  definitely a larger post to be made about this but that’s for later.

sophie leaves first, parker and hardison following side by side, and eliot brings up the rear - watching their backs.

“one year gone” OH NO

“you’re a light weight man, i’m not carrying you out of here” and hardison listens with only a look of reproach.

“meat wagons” “food trucks parker. it’s food trucks” love that she’s still teasing him

everyone’s faces at parker’s heavily sexual metaphor (“nothing like sliding into a hot, strange... vent.”) did she do it on purpose to bother the boys? is she talking about pegging one/both of them? also hardison chuckles and grins a little bit after and omg i can’t there’s going to be so much fanfic from that interaction alone

“age of the geek baby” yesss! and then eliot and parker repeat it, my heart

*shoulder slap-grab* “eliot was very worried.” parker can be honest in texts but in person she still hides a bit behind at least one of her boys. except it’s not true dishonesty because eliot immediately deflects by being all ‘i’m going to cook us food’. but as brunch and grocery run plans are made, sophie tells them to stop, and its obvious that a line for sophie has been crossed. the three of them go quiet as sophie walks away to have a moment. And then!!! Parker goes to her and whispers “we should steal something.” It’s that callback to 2x01, when Parker suggests the very same thing to Sophie, for the same exact reason - it’ll make Sophie feel better.

“It’s been years” - don’t be modest Sophie

The look on Sophie’s face says that she’s still trying to catch up to what’s happening, and yet she doesn’t resist them pulling her along on a trip to steal some art from an art gallery.

“Hey man if you happen to find some water or some asiprin” “I told you man” no ‘dammit hardison’ yet but its building up in eliot, i can feel it.

“It’s been eight years since I’ve done this. I need a sec.” Oh sophie, it’s like riding a bike (of crime!)

“I can’t do this” Sophie says to herself, right before pausing at hearing and argument and her grifter instincts going ‘find out whats going on’.

and here’s the ... mark? OH ITS THE NEW GUY. also lol at the angry man, I don’t think the museum guy would have been so honest and up front if the board wasn’t on-board with removing his name / not accepting his money anymore.

“i’m just here for the art.” literally. but that little argument and that tidbit about maxwell’s size of donations and how that family made their money - I think that has tipped sophie from ‘i can’t do this’ to ‘i want to steal and hurt this guy’. (angry guy, not the lawyer new-guy)

wait wait wait did sophie steal that particular piece?? i don’t remember fuck. but sophie remembers the year (2002), city (London), and that it was a “beautiful spring day”. i’m thinking she stole it. “it was a bit of a rush job, really” - one of her early thefts? or was it while she was with the team? i never paid attention to what years the og leverage was set in, i’m going to have to go back and figure that out now!

Sophie walks away but keeps an eye on Lawyer, and realizes that he’s going to steal that painting. Right in front of her. I don’t know if we’re meant to think he thinks he’s alone, or if he’s trying to show off to Sophie? But Hardison and Parker come in, Hardison apologizing for pulling Sophie into this but Sophie’s excited now, she’s got the taste of a con and it’s pulling her out of her depression for the moment. Meanwhile Parker’s all ‘yeah this is there plan its real simple and really boring.’

“So anyway, my psychologist says -” I STAN. Not because there was anything wrong with Parker, but Parker had expressed in the past some frustration with not being able to get people like the others do, and her going to a psychologist would be one way of learning to deal with that. Novak (Novack?) is a child psychologist which I don’t know is Parker’s (or the writings) best choice but we’ll see how that plays out beyond that Parker likes the puppets.

Ah okay so the alarms go off to get everyone out of the room, so its not a ‘show off in front of sophie’ plan. Instead, he thinks he’s alone and Sophie startles him. “This is not what it looks like.” Sir, sir, you are in front of a professional grifter, that was insulting.

THE UNNECESSARY FLIPPING

“Is that my watch?” Sir they already have your wallet, phone, and anything else in your pockets.

Guy failed his thief audition - doesn’t matter that he didn’t know he was auditioning.

THERE’S THE “DAMMIT HARDISON”

ooh, an in media res-in media res. how many layers is this going to go? i like that we’re getting Lawyer’s backstory now, rather than in a few episodes. (with this building on the original leverage (and having fewer episodes), there’s more pressure to know why - at least in broad strokes - we want to care about a main character. this isn’t like tara, where it was ‘sophie asked me to do this’, no one’s vouching for this guy.) so we’re now.... half a year in the past. so nate’s been dead six months at the time this scene is happening. hm.

ah. okay. so rather than being a ‘i have a conscience’ lawyer or a ‘i’m about to make your life harder’ laywer, he’s a ‘bribe me to make your life easier’ lawyer. So what changed?

oooh, okay, so what changed is not so much that he saw the error of his ways, but because he was double-crossed on the bribe. (he should’ve gotten at least some of that bribe money up front) from the look of surprise on his face, he’s run done this sort of thing successfully before and he’s gotten overconfident. (i know it’s not exactly a bribe, it’s a settlement/payout, but that’s.... usually more than one lawyer and a lot more tedious paperwork. there’s a settlement thing from my old health insurance where we can either choose a portion of a payout or keep our right to sue them over what the payout pertains to - what happening here is exactly the same thing except the bad guy is going ‘lmao, no not paying anyone shit’ after Lawyer’s gotten people to agree to a payout.) Lawyer should’ve done stuff in the right order; instead he put too much faith in the bad guy’s... honesty? honor? i don’t know. but Lawyer messed up. I don’t know if he made a second visit to those families to explain that actually there’d be no payout.

so he feels guilty about have done a bad job as a lawyer? and that’s why he was stealing the painting? that feels like it only makes sense if he was representing the people who were hurt by the bad guy, but going by the show it was the bad guy who contacted him. so this isn’t.... his usual arena?

and the team gets their brunch!

also wtf, Sophie’s dining table chairs looks like my parents’ dining table chairs. (table itself is different)

“You don’t get a vote, sit your ass back down” Lol

“Even numbers only, baby. I can’t believe I know that.” baby. baby. baby.

“Who here hasn’t already stolen a rembrandt?” ooh. okay i know sophie will have, and probably parker? hardison i don’t know if he would have before the team forming. Idk about eliot - maybe as part of a retrial job?

ah damn we only get numbers from Parker, but she’s stolen 3.

lol, they all start following sophie except for Lawyer, so Eliot rather than directly follow gets into his space, makes him uncomfortable without really doing anything specific, so that Laywer also follows rather than stand around in the kitchen/dining area alone and unattended. (they might be very casual about revealing that they’re a group of thieves, but they’re smarter than to leave a lawyer of all people unsupervised in the home of one of their own.)

omg that picture of sophie taped to nate’s old computer monitor.

some art thievery backstory. it was the 1990s (as opposed to the 1890s) and parker declares that it was 13 paintings, but what i’m interested in is how eliot repeats that number. it’s like he knows something about that theft and is trying to not let on about it. (or he thought it was a different number and is trying to not give hardison or parker an opening to tease him with?)

“We’ll do this one. Just one.” A callback to the very beginning of Leverage (“one job only”), only instead of Nate’s ‘i’m not a thief and therefore separate from the rest’ attitude, it’s Sophie going ‘i'm not ready to fully rejoin yet’.

“Sophie, I’ve been the roper for the past eight years.” Oh this is a very mom-daughter sort of feeling right here, and it’s so full of both love and pride and a tiny edge of that ‘stop backseat driving mom’ feeling.

LMFAO, “I haven’t stabbed anybody in a really long time, like a whole month.”/“Parker a month’s not very long.”/“It is when your the one not doing the stabbing.” It’s parker so it’s almost definitely literal, but also this could very well be a dirty joke here and I’m cackling. (That, and this might be a bit of Eliot’s influence on her. Hardison might help Parker celebrate 'no stab wednesdays’, but maybe eliot and parker have ‘yes stab fridays’ dates?)

A:LKDJFLKJSDF Hardison can 3D print an Old Nate painting now if he wanted.

“I was cocky because I was good. You were just cranky.” LOL stop flirting and make out you two.

“I was in it for the rep. Parker for the cash.”/“I had anger issues I needed to work out.” Simple and concise and true. I wonder what Sophie’s one-sentence reason would be? ‘Sophie likes having art?’

“I got a sniper in Afghanistan, he can get you the rocks. I got a mob driver in Cyprus. He can get you the soil.” I’m pausing right here to imagine Eliot having to explain to someone that he needs cactus lice for ‘reasons’.

“I got a guy in Mexico owes me a favor” I really want to be a fly on the wall for that favor call-in conversation.

“Oh you - you know somebody who’s nasty enough to pick lice off a damn cactus with his bare hands?” / “Yeah. It’s a big favor.” FLY. ON WALL.

The second Lawyer starts chuckling too Hardison motions for him to stop. This joke, from Eliot at himself, isn’t one for outsiders. Lawyer guy needs to actually prove himself before he gets to laugh at Eliot’s darker-if-you-know-the-subtext jokes.

“Don’t be ridiculous man. If they were stolen masterpieces they’d be in [the other] closet.” Ah yes, we have what’s probably Nate’s closet (arguably not stolen masterpieces) and Sophie’s closet (definitely stolen masterpieces). Also Hardison and Eliot gesture at the stolen-masterpiece closet in unison

an IYS insurance stamp with Nate’s name under it. WAIT. wait wait wait. 1x01 - “Should’ve kept one of those Monet’s” - Is this - did Nate remember Eliot’s comment, about if he had kept some of those paintings he could’ve fenced them for money to try to help pay for his son’s medicine? Does Nate have this closet in case Sophie (or Maggie) had health problems and there was a sudden need for money? I’M SCREAMING

oh, and Hardison smells the painting, not unrolling it or looking at the tag like Lawyer did. Hardison paid attention and remembered that lesson from Sophie about the statue of Rah and how their mark knew it was from a museum and not a dig in egypt. (3x15 i believe) (Hardison smelled it, Eliot got touch, and Parker tasted it.)

i missed these guys running a ‘clear the room’ mini con.

Parker’s running an auction again! A bit less aggressively this time, and also with a fully fake buying audience (Sophie’s acting students? I didn’t get to s4/5 in my rewatch so I don’t know if there’s returning faces - I don’t think there are?)

“Nate never settled for nice.” The look on Eliot’s face there. The adjustment in his mind from a ‘Sophie con’ to a ‘Nate con’. Not that Sophie ran ‘nicer’ cons than Nate, but hers were ... cleaner? They had a stopping point, a line that - once crossed - the team would walk away from the job. Nate, though, Nate didn’t stop until he was satisfied he had obliterated the mark, especially if he was feeling particularly egotistical. Eliot’s look is readjusting to the fact that now, with Nate dead, Sophie might not have that line anymore. But it’s just a maybe, and her going ‘I want to hurt him more than have art’ isn’t so far beyond the pale that Eliot’s going to call her on it. (Even if it was over the line, the mark’s still in the room.)

ALKSJDF;LKJASDFL Parker’s nametag! She’s still using her Alice White identity!! Is Alice still friends with the woman with the cats?? Does Parker still forget that she’s Alice?

Ooh, and all the fake auction bidders are filming Bad Guy and him walking away in frustration.

Hm. Bad guy is having a security check run on someone, only this time I’m aware enough to know that the team knows this is going to happen to their fake identities, so assuming anything gets flagged they’ve likely already accounted for it.

“You know, we never really got to talk. If you ever... want to discuss...”/“I think this is my way of talking about it. Through this.” Eliot might not have really liked Nate as a person, but Sophie? He’ll be damned if he doesn’t reach out to Sophie, again and again, letting her know she can lean on him, that she doesn’t have to deal with her grief alone.

i’ll have to dig into this later but i’m having emotions about nathan ford right now (“his heart burned too hot for too long” ‘“I’m sorry”./“Don’t be. At least he burned.” - who is this writer becuase i wanna marry them steal their writing skills)

‘brick & basil’ ‘poboys’ ‘gumbo’ is that one of Eliot’s food trucks? (i want a poboy so bad right now) there’s also social media logos on the side! hardison probably set up the pages initially and but by now you know each and every one of those food trucks have amazing reviews.

“Is it weird that I find all of that really attractive?”/“I thank God every day that you do.” parker drags hardison in for a kiss, only for it to be revealed that this is right in front of eliot, who is immediately all ‘outies’ with the fresh-baked painting.

GASP. ELIOT’S FOOD TRUCK IS THE NEW LUCILLE?????

“it used to take a whole van, now we can fit a mini-Lucille inside every food truck in the world” I LIED, LUCILLE HAD BABIES

Lol at Parker being all ‘i’m attracted to you but i’m not going to lie about your accents having always been good’

"My cover’s not blown” and Eliot’s cover is immediately blown. Eliot isn’t too surprised at this though, so this is probably a thing that has happened more than twice in the past eight years. (His face not flagging any alerts is likely handiwork of Hardison’s.) The question is if the team figured this into their calculations or if this is one of the twists they have to maneuver around on the fly.

“this is an audition. for them.”/“big guys got potential. you can cut the rest.” has the feeling of that time where Eliot was all ‘if i’m not honest you won’t improve’ at the hitman he had stabbed in the shoulder. and Eliot might have prefered to skip the bruises but that smile of satisfaction of having a good clean fight, no guns around? Amazing.

.... not sure if I believe that that’s the original painting that Lawyer sets on fire.

I approve of the trigger discipline! Guard is pointing a gun at Lawyer’s head but does not have the finger on the trigger, very good.

aha, and here we have where the team succeeded anyway. I’m pretty sure that was hardison on the other side when the Bad Guy was giving his bank account code stuff, but I’m not sure exactly how the rest has been set up.

“We’re going to need to come up with a plan M.” I’M SCREAMING, NO DEAD HARDISON’S ELIOT RUDE

“Why we gotta call it plan M?” EXACTLY

“You know my feelings about plan M.” LOTS OF FEELINGS AND NONE OF THEM HAPPY

“Eliot, plan S. For Hardison survive, damn it.” I LIKE PLAN S.

Parker’s covering her mouth and bouncing in place because she’s really, really, really excited about getting to break into 8 different museums and it brings back the vent-joke and I love her

THE GLOAT

“I wasn’t too sure about the whole gloating thing ... [but it was] very cathartic.” Exactly. Not the best idea in the real world, but this is fiction so why should we be spoiled of having a bit of fun?

“You didn’t pay out to everyone?”/“We couldn’t find everyone.” Hm. Is Lawyer going to insist on finding everyone? Is that how he stays with the team?

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did you think you were done?” Hardison’s smile and tone here are amazing.

“Oh, if only you could find all the names, then you could just move on. ... You don’t get to do just one thing and claim you’ve repented.” And Hardison is speaking to more than just Lawyer here, this is about something everyone on the team has had to deal with, that everyone who’s done another wrong and later regretted it has had to deal with. It’s more complicated than going ‘sorry’ and moving on. This is why the three of them - Eliot, Parker, Hardison - have their own separate ventures. The work to heal the wrongs does not stop.

“My Nana leads a multi-denominational household.” I really want to meet Hardison’s Nana.

having more emotions about eliot excuse me

"he’s his father’s son.” we’ve never heard Hardison talk about his dad, so this line is about Nate being Hardison’s crime-dad and i’m having more emotion excuse me again

hmmmmmm i don’t like that dress on parker in this end scene

“Sophie? Your call.” They all know she said one job. And that this job is technically done, for all that the mark has fled the consequences. And unlike Nate, who they were just all ‘we’re moving into your house to run cons, join us or not’ - with Sophie they’re giving her a chance to go ‘no, leave’. And it’s likely that if she did say that, if she said she was done, they’d move on without her. Because she did leave the team to retire with Nate. It’s her choice to rejoin the game, her choice on how long she’s back in. And it’s rewarded with her deciding that this particular job is not done yet. (Whether she’ll stay on afterward remains to be seen. As the title states, as Hardison’s speech just now elaborates on, this season is about redemption. Hardison’s focusing on Lawyer because he’s the newest, the one who’s put in the least amount of work, the one who needs the push. The rest? Sophie, Eliot, Parker? Hardison himself? They know each other enough to know that the work is being put in, even if its not loud and obvious, and what to look for if they think one of the others needs a push, or a reminder that they are people too.)

THIS WAS VERY GOOD I LOVE IT

[mistressvera]

[eg515]

I love all the little details that reinforce Parker, Hardison and Eliot as one family unit. Hardison knowing what Eliot says first thing in the morning. Parker and Hardison's conversation about that time in Paris (with the explosion and the granny bot) and later Eliot supporting Hardison's decision to step back, making it clear that the three of them make decisions together. Eliot understanding Hardison's Star Trek references. Hardison creating a little work out corner in the restaurant for Eliot. all three of them practicing the others' skills together. family 💖

[raayllum]

@1lovepeace First off thank you for your kind words, I really appreciate it!

But that's the thing: I don't think Rayla has a unique understanding of what Claudia's going through. Yes, Rayla can relate to being given a dark task/path by your father, trying and failing to carry it (at first) out to fruition... but so can Soren. The same goes for their levels of abandonment (Soren's been abandoned just as many times, and Ez and Callum have also lost their parents and temporarily lost their friend).

Because while Rayla and Claudia have arc similarities (aforementioned dark task, wandering Xadia, leaving their boyfriends, etc) and subsequent personality similarities (complexities with deception/lies, fears of abandonment) they're fundamentally too dissimilar to ever truly relate to each other, IMO, at least not until it's been long enough (Claudia's changed and come home, they've had time to get used to each other) that it basically doesn't matter because other characters (Soren, Terry, Viren if he lives) have stepped in to provide a space for Claudia's healing.

Claudia sees the dragon being afraid of her and takes it as a smug showing of her power with a big mean grin on her face. Rayla sees someone be scared of her (1x01, Chasing Shadows) and ends up either directly or indirectly sparing their life, because that makes her recognize their personhood every time (so far). Claudia gives up everything else in order to save her father, whereas Rayla repeatedly puts her parents on the backburner (4x09, 5x01, 5x04, and indirectly all throughout S5) in order to do what she thinks is right for the good of the world, etc etc. Claudia is deeply attached to being able to think of herself as a good person and has a very hard time admitting her wrongdoing (at all) and sticking to that viewpoint; Rayla does not have a stable sense of self, most of the time, and has a very hard time being fair about her own actions, any initial indignant reaction on her own behalf often quickly giving way to more permanent shame and self loathing.

More than that, it still kinda falls into the pitfall of "Oh Rayla has a reason to be compassionate towards Claudia" but that isn't necessarily character development. Rayla has always felt more positively towards Claudia than Claudia has with her (2x02, 2x03) even if Claudia presented more positively than Rayla did. Rayla's always seen Claudia as a person - an obstacle, a threat, but a person. That's never been a two way street.

Rayla is clear sighted and compassionate enough, if/when Claudia starts to want to change and to make amends, probably, to recognize her own search for redemption in that journey, because Rayla is basically always trying to make amends for something, and it's hard to admit when you're wrong (coming back in S4 shows how unlike Claudia she is, because Rayla looked at her sunken cost and refused to keep going, vs Claudia who routinely hits rock bottom and grabs a shovel to keep on digging). Rayla agonizes over whether she's making the right decision, whereas Claudia tries to avoid ever having to acknowledge she's making a Choice at all.

Claudia having compassion for Rayla and all that it entails (seeing her as a person, being able to admit her father was wrong - which again, Rayla did on Day One) is the uphill climb; that's what fundamentally needs to change. There's a lot to be said for how Rayla, narratively, has the most in common with the villains in terms of what she loses (her family, her home) and how her own people treat her (an untrustworthy coward living in exile) but that's a meta for another day.

Meanwhile, Rayla is who Claudia would be if Claudia turned away from her father on day one, but if she'd done so, she wouldn't actually be Claudia at all.

The character I think that has the most in common with Claudia in a lot of ways, honestly, is Ezran. I've talked about this before (X, X) but Ezran and Claudia are the younger sibling, both tied and tethered and bound up in their father's mantle in ways their older brothers just aren't (and although Rayla's push and pull with being an assassin is more complex, she does start shedding in 1x03 and has thus far never gone back; she's still carrying Runaan's weight, yes, but she's not taking on his direct mantle in the same way). Ezran is the boy king; Claudia is the young dark mage. They're the ones who are routinely passive whenever they have the ability to be (although each are growing out of it, for better or for worse), who are more susceptible to manipulation because they want to see the best in people (and for Claudia, in people she considers people, particularly her family). They both see the throne as a tool to help people, and they're both heavily tied to nature.

Yes, they're juxtaposed - Ezran is still more collective based while Claudia is family first over everything, Ezran is more connected to nature than anyone else due to being able to speak with animals vs Claudia's disruption and poisoning of nature due to dark magic - but the latter, in particular, just binds them more closely together as a pair.

Ezran would understand that crushing weight, of simultaneously trying to live up to your father, trying to surpass him, and (if she gets redeemed) trying to be better than he was for whatever time and in whatever ways you can. Soren is going to understand her search for atonement and redemption and the pain but also empowerment of switching sides, even when it means admitting you were wrong and that your family/mentors are imperfect - hell, post-S5 Viren will/would, too.

TLDR; I guess what I'm trying to say, basically, is extenuating Raydia's narrative similarities and applying that to their personalities, particularly so Rayla can pick up Claudia's pieces, is one of the reasons I'm not a big fan of fanon Raydia when that's what the bulk of the shipping dynamic seems to come from. Acknowledging that it'd be a very long and messy road before Claudia's even remotely ready to be an acquaintance to Rayla, let alone someone the Moonshadow elf trusts, in addition to the fact that plenty of other characters offer dynamics that do offer genuine understanding well beforehand is like... What if you didn't have a unique understanding of me, what if we were so diametrically opposed that we had to find common ground in another way, what if I had to work to relate to and know/understand you On Purpose? is just as interesting - if not more so a dynamic (for these two in particular) - as an enemies-to-friends(-to-lovers) ship but like. No one seems interested in exploring it, though, which is a shame

getting closer and closer to the realization that the only person who can make raydia content/dynamic in fandom that i enjoy is myself